One Shot: Art
by adcgordon
Summary: Several years in the future...Vanessa is ready to break out of her teen mold and follow in her husband's footsteps. But will he allow her to create her own "art"? Read, enjoy & review!


Okay, don't ask me where this one came from. As I've said before, these things I write are just scenarios that enter my head. This one takes us into the future by a few years. The only thing it can relate to a little is Zac's Interview magazine appearance.

**As said before, I own nothing HSM related, characters, settings or otherwise; I highly respect the actors, actresses and awesome production crew that brought this generation-changing phenomena to our attention. **

**Read & enjoy! Reviews & PM's are welcome and appreciated!**

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The table was set. The food was cooking. The lights were dim and Vanessa had chosen a simple blue top to wear over her white leggings. They weren't going out, no need for shoes so she was wandering around the house in her bare feet.

She was nervous about this dinner. She was nervous about the potential project that she would be discussing with her husband. For the first time in their two-year marriage a job offer had come to Vanessa that she wasn't sure about. Yes, she had auditioned for the part. Yes, it was one that would step up her career. But she knew this wouldn't be one that Zac would easily let her accept.

She had tried to play their conversation out in her mind. But every time it played, the words were different and so was her husband's reaction. So, she didn't know how this would go. The one thing she knew for sure…they had to reach an answer tonight. Filming was supposed to start in two weeks and the producer wanted an answer tomorrow. No answer…or a 'no' answer…meant that he would move on to the somewhat unknown actress who was chomping at the bit to get her foot in the door.

When Vanessa auditioned for the leading role it was different from any other she had tackled. It wasn't related to music. The film was to be a romance/drama/mystery genre. She was excited at the possibility of taking her career in a different direction. She was by no means ready to give up her musical career. Her fourth album was on the verge of being released. But her acting skills, in her mind, were going to waste with every teenage musical movie in which she was cast. She was ready for something more. At age 25, she was ready to move forward.

Her husband's career had jumped off the charts early on. His Disney image had been left far behind less than a year after their famed trilogy had run its course. He wanted for nothing when it came to movie roles. And therefore he was able to pick and choose what he wished.

Vanessa didn't feel intimidated by that. She loved him for it. He shared his success with her, and included her in it. She was able to make her career what she wanted it to be because of his support. She too, could pick and choose the projects she wanted to do. And even if they weren't the perfect roles to play, they had still made her acting career a success. She credited that to Zac.

They're relationship had spanned nine years already. Five years spent in the realm of meeting and dating and overcoming obstacles; two years as an engaged Hollywood couple that dared anyone to mess with them; and the last two as a married couple who willed themselves to prove that a Hollywood marriage could work. And no matter how hard the tabloids and rumor mills had tried, the Efron marriage _was_ working.

But tonight, she was nervous. She finished setting the table with two small candleholders. This wasn't a four-star event. She pulled their simple, every-day dishes from the cabinet and coupled them with the wooden salad bowls and their normal flatware. She sat a bottle of wine in the ice pail but figured they would probably just be drinking the peach tea that she had fixed earlier.

She heard the timer ringing in the kitchen and headed back toward the oven. The clock beamed 7:03. Zac should be home any time now. She pulled the chicken and mushrooms with rice from the oven and quickly threw the vegetables into the microwave to steam. She ran to the bathroom to take her hair down just as the door to their home opened.

"Nessa? Oh man, something smells great." He dropped his keys in the dish on the table by the door and quickly ran upstairs to their bedroom to empty his pockets. He ran into his wife on her way out of the bathroom.

"Hey Babe! What's the occasion?" Zac's face brightened just seeing his wife. She stood on her toes to reach up and kiss his lips.

"I got the script for 'Mysterious Love'. The producer wants an answer tomorrow. "

"Okay…you didn't give him an answer already?" Zac was a little confused.

"Come on, let's eat. Dinner's ready. We'll talk about it over dinner." Vanessa took him by the hand and led her husband back down the stairs. She sat him down in his chair at the table. "You sit, I'll be right back." She gave him her warmest smile.

Zac felt a little underdressed in his khakis and t-shirt. "The candles are a nice touch!" He mentioned as he heard Vanessa pulling food from the microwave. "You sure you don't need any help?" He offered.

"Ouch! Darn it! That smarts." He heard the sounds coming from the kitchen and quickly jumped up to see what had happened. His concerned face spotted his wife running her arm under the tap water at the sink with a steaming bag of vegetables lying on the counter.

"You okay?" He asked as he rushed to her side.

"Steam burn." She answered with an annoying voice. She turned off the water and glanced at her wrist. "No lasting scars…it seems I'll be just fine." She smiled with a small grimace.

Zac grabbed her arm quickly and smothered it with soft kisses making her giggle. "Better?" He smiled.

"Much, much better." She smiled again. And once more she pushed herself up on tiptoes to kiss his lips. This time he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held her in the kiss.

He pulled away after a moment and leaned his forehead against hers. "What's up Ness? Your nervous, you've made an amazing dinner for us and you don't want me to help put it on the table. I _know_ I haven't missed an anniversary or birthday…so what's going on?"

She sighed knowingly. She couldn't get anything past him. They knew each other too well. "There's tea in the fridge. Will you pour some for us while I get the food on our plates?" She smiled softly at him as she pulled herself out of his embrace.

After a few more minutes they sat down at the table to eat. Vanessa carefully pushed the script in Zac's direction. "Take a look at the scenes on pages 42 and 120. They are why I haven't said 'yes' yet. I need your opinion."

She watched his face closely as Zac scanned the first page that she had pointed out. The dialogue wasn't a problem. He looked closely at the scene description. The movements of the actors and actresses involved in the scene were written out on the opposite page. Zac was a fast reader. Vanessa could tell he was reading the page twice, even three times. She also noticed his head begin to shake a little in disagreement.

He didn't look up yet though. He turned to the next page she had mentioned. This time he only read through the description once and then raised his eyes to meet hers.

"No." His voice was firm.

"But what if I could talk them into doing it without…" Vanessa started.

"No." He simply said again.

Vanessa sighed like a disgruntled teenager, sat back in her chair and started picking at her food. Zac didn't say a word as he stabbed at the chicken with his fork. He pushed the script back to the middle of the table and let it lay.

Vanessa was the first to get up from the table, her food barely touched on the plate. She moved into the kitchen to start cleaning up. Zac heard her sniffling at the sink and knew their conversation wasn't finished. He tried to let his emotions settle a little as he took the last bite of his chicken and finished his tea. She had worked hard on dinner and wanted his opinion, not a demand.

He brought his plate and glass into the kitchen and sat them on the counter then walked up behind her at the sink. He felt her muscles tighten as he wrapped his arms around her waist and bent his head down toward her ear to kiss her cheek. Her muscles didn't relax.

But Zac didn't let go. "Nessa, one person in this world is allowed to see you without clothes on. And I'm right behind you. I'm sorry my answer was so blunt at the table. But you wanted my opinion. If they want you to be nude in even half a scene, then my opinion is, 'don't do it.'"

"You've been in movies where women were topless." Vanessa pouted.

"Let's count them on one hand." Zac retorted holding up three fingers. "And in this one," he pointed to his ring finger, signifying the third movie, "I wasn't in the scenes where she was naked."

Vanessa tried to wriggle free from his arms but Zac wouldn't let go. "What about the gratuitous shot of the naked model on top of you in the Interview magazine?"

"Oh no you don't. We're not going back to that. We discussed that and chalked it up to 'art' and let it go. That's been six years ago." Zac's voice started to get louder with the remembrance of the black and white photo that was published in a respectable magazine.

"We can't go back to that, but you're going back even farther to _my_ photo mess, aren't you?!" Vanessa too, started to raise her voice, her adrenaline starting to course through her veins.

"Stop! Just stop it." Zac didn't yell but his voice was reaching that angry point. "We are NOT doing this. We are NOT going to fight over whether or not you are going to do a movie where they want you to be naked in two scenes.

"It's just _art_ Zac…what's the big deal?" She danced around the word 'art' with a childlike voice.

Zac had reached his limit. They rarely argued like this. He knew she was hurt because he wasn't giving in to her. He also knew how much she had hoped this particular movie would work out for her. But thirdly, he knew that he didn't want anyone else in this world to look at his wife the way he was allowed to. He wanted no lustful eyes, no wandering glances to her most intimate areas. And he wanted NO ONE else even daring to touch her baby-soft skin the way he did.

He finally let his arms loose around her waist. But then he grabbed her hand and tugged on her until she followed him through the dining room and up the stairs into their bedroom.

"You want to do a nude scene? You really want to do that? Here's your chance. Call this rehearsal." Zac said as he removed his own shirt. Vanessa watched as he quickly sat down on their bed and removed his socks and shoes. Then he stood again preparing to remove his pants.

"What the hell are you doing?" She gasped at him? "If it's _my_ nude scene then why are you undressing?!"

"Because we're going to finish this argument naked. And once it's finished…it's just finished, done. Now undress and make your point. Why is it so important for you to do this movie and be nude in some of the scenes?"

Vanessa stared at Zac for a moment in shock. He was seriously taking all of his clothes off in front of her. The look on his face had nothing to do with sexual actions between a husband and wife. He still had anger burning in those blue eyes. She knew it wasn't anger toward her but more toward the producers who would dare ask his wife to stoop to their level.

Now he was totally naked. She gingerly removed her top and then tugged slowly at the leggings bringing them down over her thighs and calves then finally kicking them off her feet. She stood up in only her bra and panties and looked at Zac. His male anatomy still showed no intentions of anything other than having this discussion. So she continued undressing without saying a word to her husband.

Once they were both on even ground Zac continued. "Now…" his voice was a little more settled. "Talk to me. Tell me why you want to do this."

Vanessa felt herself blush as she worked to keep her gaze on his eyes. She noticed his own eyes focused on hers and she didn't want to shift. "I…I…" she paused. She took a deep breath. "I'm ready to get out of this teenage mold Zac. I want to continue my music path. But for acting I'm tired of being the high school singer or the college student. I love that I can still play the young roles, but I'm ready to be an adult now." She stopped to see Zac's reaction.

His eyes drifted to her lips and then shifted to look over her shoulder. They each stood on opposite sides of the bed, Zac facing the window, Vanessa facing the door.

"Can't you play an adult role…without showing the world just how much of an adult you are?" Zac asked from his heart. "I don't want anyone seeing you, all of you, except me. You can say I'm selfish if you want." He hung his head and looked at the floor. "But I have the right to be selfish about this. You're _my _wife. I should have the right to be selfish on this topic."

His shy, heartfelt response was what she had hoped for at the dinner table. Zac didn't often show his emotions to many people. But for her he would wear his heart on his sleeve. And she knew it was genuine. When he reached this stage with her she knew the words were coming from his heart.

She took a step toward him and reached out her hand. He didn't take it but he did look back into her face. "The argument…this discussion…it's not over yet. We can't touch each other until it's finished."

"Oh," Vanessa stepped back. "You didn't mention there were actual rules to this." She gestured at their clothes on the floor.

Again they held each other's gaze. Zac rolled his hand in front of him, meaning for her to continue the conversation.

"This is the first, actual, non-teenage type role that I've been offered Zac. That's kinda a big deal for me. It's taken years for me to finally get an offer like this. Do I want to do a nude scene? No. The answer is completely 'no.' But that's why I wanted…that's why I needed your opinion." She felt a small lump forming in her throat knowing that she wouldn't be accepting the role in this movie. Still she continued talking to him.

"If you had looked at the script and said 'This is awesome, go for it!' then I would be on the phone with the producer right now figuring out the schedule. I didn't expect you to do that but I also didn't expect a complete demand _not _to do it. You've never demanded that I take a job or not take it. I'm not used to that from you. Well, there are times when you're demanding…but that's a separate topic." She smiled as he again looked at the floor.

"So the answer is?" Zac asked.

Vanessa walked to the phone in the bedroom and picked it up. The number of the producer was on the bedside table. She quickly dialed the number and waited for an answer. "Jack? Hey, it's Vanessa. I'm sorry. I just can't take the role. What? Yeah…that's part of it, I won't lie, that's a big part of it. I'm sorry to get back to you so late, but I needed to talk this over with my husband." She saw Zac smile at her as she wrapped up the conversation. "Thank you for the consideration, really. I hope you'll keep me in mind for other roles that come along." Vanessa finished sincerely and hung up the phone.

She turned away from Zac for a minute and looked out the window. Zac quickly came up behind her and again wrapped his arms around her waist, their bodies meeting skin to skin. Vanessa leaned her head back against his chest and wrapped her arms around his. "So that's over? Finished?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah, completely." Zac nodded and kissed the top of her head.

He felt her tug on his arms moving his embrace down around her belly button. Then she worked to spread his fingers out, laying them across her abdomen. Normally in an embrace like this Vanessa would pull his arms up and let them settle just under her breasts. So, Zac found her actions a little odd. But he figured she was just trying something new. The naked arguing was new, and it had worked well, perhaps this would too.

They stood there for a moment without saying anything. Then Zac had a thought. "By the way," he said as he rested his chin on her head. "Art, in our house, will either be between just the two of us, he smiled, OR it will be whatever pictures our son or daughter draws and we post them on the refrigerator… Agreed?"

He felt Vanessa's muscles tighten again in his grip. Was Zac more perceptive than she thought? Her action had been very subtle…did he really pick up on her meaning?

"What?" He asked innocently.

"_That_ last artwork…will start showing up in just a couple of years then." She smiled, still looking out the window.

Again he asked, "What?!" his breath caught in his throat.

Zac tightened his grip around her, realizing that she had placed his hands right overtop of her womb and now her hands were holding his in place.

"The _only_ other reason I wanted to do this movie, right away…is because I probably won't even be in the movie business for the next few years. I don't want people to forget my face." She felt Zac's hands massaging her belly. His fingers were causing her to tingle and she swore she felt a little swimming motion under her skin, beneath his touch.

Her smile grew even bigger as she felt her husband growing against her hip. For nearly an hour they had stood naked in front of one another. An action that usually tantalized them both had served another purpose that evening. But now, the intimate contact was finally realized.

"They don't need to see the rest of you to remember your face. I promise I won't let them forget." He whispered in her ear as he feathered kisses down her neck.

She groaned a little and then gasped as he unwrapped his arms from her and then quickly picked her up, cradling her in his arms and carrying her to their bed. He needed to hear her tell him their biggest news of the evening, the biggest news of their lives. He wasn't dense. He knew what she was alluding to with her actions and words of the past few moments, but he needed her to say it…he wanted to watch her as she said it…to make it completely real to him.

He ever-so-gently placed her on the bed, her head resting on the pillows. Then he knelt beside her and put one hand on her belly again. "Say it, please? Tell me why you won't be in the movie business. What are you hinting at Vanessa?"

Zac rarely used her full first name. On special occasions, when he wanted to make sure he had her full attention, he would use it. The eagerness in his eyes, that sparkle, and the hopeful tone of his voice told her this was one of those times.

She met his excitement with her own. She realized she hadn't said these words out loud to anyone yet. Besides her and the doctor and nurse who helped confirm her suspicions, she knew Zac had to be the first to know. "I…we're pregnant Zac." She bit her bottom lip as she watched his expression brighten even more. "We're gonna have a baby!" She beamed.

Zac had to work hard not to bounce on their bed. He couldn't contain his excitement but used every ounce of his strength to keep it under some semblance of control. He leaned over Vanessa's tummy and peppered kisses all around making her giggle. Then she felt his breath on her stomach and glanced down to see what he was doing. At first she wasn't sure, but then she realized he was whispering something.

Zac glanced up at Vanessa's face a couple of times and then whispered more into her belly button. Again she swore she felt a swimming movement inside of her.

Finally Zac finished his prenatal lecture to his unborn child and quickly repositioned his naked body over top of Vanessa's. He held himself up with his arms as he bent his head down and started kissing her lips.

Vanessa pushed up on his chest and caught his eye. With a curious look she asked, "What exactly were you saying to our baby?"

Zac's smile was plastered across his face at the sound of those words. "I told him…because you do know we're having a boy, don't you?" He said matter-of-factly. "I promised him that we would always have room for his artwork on the refrigerator. "

Vanessa smiled at him and accepted another kiss. "And…"

"And then I told him that he was going to have to play by himself for a little while right now," Zac's tone changed from playful to erotic, "because Mommy and Daddy have their own art project that we need to finish."

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